I went to OK Tire today to get my brake controller installed and a 7 pin plug. I was quoted $170 on the phone as a quote when I made the appointment.

Usually I would install it myself but I didn't have the time or will to dig into the wiring. So I was told it would be about an hour to an hour and a half on the phone. With that in mind they took it in and began working on it.

I returned 1.5 hours later to pick it up and was told it was still being worked on....come back in another hour. So I went back after an hour and it was still in. After 5 hours in the shop it finally came out and as you can imagine by this time I was pretty torqued.

They worked out the numbers and told me it was going to be $398.00!!! I almost died....my face lit up and I began seeing red. I told him that I wouldn't expect a 1 hour job where the controller was provided by me to cost near that. I also mentioned the quote I was given on the phone.

He went on to say that North American cars are a lot easier and that most of it was already hard wired and that Toyota's take a lot longer. At this point I was done being nice and I told him straight up that was bull****. I said I wouldn't pay a penny over 2 hours of labor and that I would be getting a full quote from the Toyota Dealership 1.5 hours away and that we would talk tomorrow with that quote in hand.........so that is the story so far......I will be contacting the Toyota dealership tomorrow for a REALISTIC quote.

that sucks. As a side note, are you sure the Toyota dealership would even have installed this?
I inquired to mine about installing a V8 4runner 7-pin switch and they said they wouldn't do it because it didn't have a high enough tow rating or some BS.

I had my brake controller installed by a hitch shop here in Calgary. As I had Toyota install the towing package, most of the wiring was already their. They basically ran the missing wires, and swapped out the 4 pin for the 7 pin, as well as modded a new bracket to hold the 7 pin connector. It was just under $400, with the cost of the prodigy controller, plus the cost of installation.

For so long as 100 men remain alive, we shall never under any conditions submit to the domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which no good man will consent to lose but with his life. - THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH, 1320

that sucks. As a side note, are you sure the Toyota dealership would even have installed this?
I inquired to mine about installing a V8 4runner 7-pin switch and they said they wouldn't do it because it didn't have a high enough tow rating or some BS.

It is law to have trailer brakes for any trailer over 3000lbs and the rating for an FJ Cruiser is 5000lbs. Therefore you need them....and I need them for my RV trailer that is 3700lbs.

It is law to have trailer brakes for any trailer over 3000lbs and the rating for an FJ Cruiser is 5000lbs. Therefore you need them....and I need them for my RV trailer that is 3700lbs.

This is correct. It sounds like that the dealer just didn't want to do the work.
Sorry to hear what happened. It took the trailer shop that did mine about an hour and a half to two hours. Its not hard. I really don't see how it took them 5+ hours to do this. Did they have you sign somthing when you dropped it off with a price? If it says $170 on the quote they can't raise the price without you authorizing it first.

For so long as 100 men remain alive, we shall never under any conditions submit to the domination of the English. It is not for glory or riches or honours that we fight, but only for liberty, which no good man will consent to lose but with his life. - THE DECLARATION OF ARBROATH, 1320

I wired my brake controller in myself. It took me maybe an hour, though I already had the tow package so most of it was already done. All you have to add is a ground, a wire to the battery, a wire to the brakes, and a wire to the 7pin connector. For the 7pin, all you have to add is a ground, a wire to the battery, and the wire from the brake controller, assuming you have the oem tow harness. I just reused the factory braket for the 4pin to mount my 7pin, which also has a 4pin. The hardest part is running the wires. Total cost to me was $180, 135 for brake controller, 25 for 7pin, 20 for wiring, and an hour of my time.

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